Youngstown board OKs hefty severance payments

The city’s board of control approved $239,020.77 in severance payments to five retired employees — three police officers and two firefighters.

The city must make the payments to retiring employees since the severance packages are part of union contracts with the city, said Mayor Charles Sammarone, the board’s chairman. The payments were approved by the board Thursday.

The biggest payout went to William Powell, a police captain who retired Jan. 18 after 33 years on the force. Powell’s severance payment is $85,300.29.

Of that amount, Powell will receive $53,274.84 for accumulated time, money he deferred rather than receive as overtime during his career. He also will receive $10,057.71 for unused vacation time, and $21,274.16 for unused sick time. The rest of the money, a small amount, includes payments for longevity and hazardous-duty pay.

After employees leave city jobs, they receive an amount equal to 35 percent of their hourly wage for unused sick time. All other severance payments are at 100 percent.

Former Detective Sgt. Ismael Caraballo, who retired Jan. 17 after 33 years with the city police department, will receive a $62,847.22 severance payment.

Most of Caraballo’s money will come from unused sick time, $38,618.30, and $15,964.55 for accumulated time.

Mark Wollet, who retired as a detective sergeant on Jan. 13 after 34 years at the department, is receiving $31,333.97 with much coming from unused sick time, $13,590.69, and unused vacation time, $7,494.12.

Also, the board approved a $43,170.12 severance payment to retired fire Lt. Dennis DiTullio, whose last day was Jan. 16, after 22 years with the department. Most of it, $32,319.30, is for unused sick time.

Joseph Caraballo, a retired fire lieutenant, will receive a $16,369.17 severance payment with $8,198.39 for unused sick time. Carabello, who retired Jan. 16, is the brother of Ismael Caraballo, said fire Chief John J. O’Neill Jr.

Also Thursday, the board finalized a contract to pay $4,500 to purchase the property of the former Jitso’s Place at 2023 McGuffey Road. That money will first go toward paying the $1,698.60 in delinquent taxes on the land owed by its owner, Thomas Shockley of Columbus, with the rest going to the owner.

The city demolished the former East Side bar building earlier this month.

In the four years before it closed on June 2010, city police received 242 calls to the bar for weapons offenses, shootings, loud music and liquor-law violations.

“It’s a nuisance in the neighborhood,” Sammarone said. “We bought it and demolished it. It won’t be a nuisance anymore.”

Comments

Half that money will be taken out in taxes. Not all of it will go to the wage earner. (Before anyone says anything).Thank you gentlemen for your service and dedication to the city. Your job is the roughest of all. I'm glad you survived your tour of duty. Enjoy your retirement. You earned it.

If there were still honor in our lives, sick time would be used when one is ill and proven ill and vacation time would be taken and not used as a retirement accpimt but, instead, as a time to spend with one's family and to refresh the mind for a better performance on the job.

Employees should have to use their vacation time within a specified time period, like another poster pointed out, as time to refresh body/mind/soul for better job performance. Sick time policy seems overly generous.

I'm more upset that the city had to pay out $160,000 because of Macejko getting sued in a discrimination lawsuit and the city had to settle it. And there is another suit pending with him named it it also, That's 2 discrimination lawsuits because Macejko is a racist.

The vacation time payout for these city servants is do to them for the year 2012. They were paid for in 2011. Nobody complains when the guy has to work his first year with no vacation. The accumulated time is OT that the employee did not get paid for in the first place. If we force these guys to use it or loose it then we will be paying sick time at 100% not 30%. I find it interesting that nobody complains about performance bonuses, matching 401k's, contingency bonus, and golden parachutes in the private sector. Yet, you pay a civil servant a bonus and everyone cries foul. Nobody was crying foul 40 and 50 years ago when you could work in the mill for 2x what you could working for the police or fire departments. Nobody cried foul when the city god's signed collective bargaining agreements with unions promising great vacation packages and buyouts when they retired instead of raises.

I want to know which one of you haters is willing to drive a police car into a shootout? Or stop a domestic violence assault. Or run into a burning building. Maybe you would like to stand on-top of a tanker full of gas and drill a 2inch hole into it.

Gdog, Me a Gains supporter?? Well of course I am. What gets me is these police and fire guys are in the trenches, they get $$ from AT , sick etc and there is an outcry! Yet our city leaders settle out of court and aren't held accountable for wasting our dollars, Now I see you feel that since they are minorities that they will get the $$ anyway, well wait until you get the facts on how Mr Ally was treated along with the secretary that has a suit filed. You would ( should ) be appalled Macejko should have been fired over this. It's a shame that the city lost that $160,000 and will lose more over the second lawsuit,- That could have gone to our police and fire! And if you have an issue with Paul, I suggest you take it up with him.

Good for these guys, 34/33 years at YPD, through the crazy 80/90s is enough to earn these benefits! Also, having some knowledge of the public system, why doesn't Vindy run an article about folks who retire and get ZERO because they called-off all the time? Good for Carabello, Wollet, and Powell for being a good example and coming to work everyday! And I'm glad they get to enjoy retirement a little bit!

380 brings up his BS on every possible board because he hopes somebody will finaly listen to his garbage....nice try but Leo Jennings cannot rig this election!